The present invention relates to a lane change assist system for assisting a lane change of a vehicle and a method thereof.
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2003-25868 discloses a lane change assist system which facilitates an entering to an adjacent target lane from a present traveling lane and avoids a radical deceleration on the target lane. This lane change assist system is arranged to control a host vehicle speed at a representative vehicle speed of adjacent vehicles on the target lane, to select one adjacent vehicle whose distance to the host vehicle is the smallest distance to a target inter-vehicle distance which is shorter than an inter-vehicle distance set on the target lane as a preceding vehicle on the target lane, and to start a cruise control relative to the newly selected preceding vehicle when a driver manipulates a lane change switch.